Gu Ru Zhang (Ku Yu Cheung)
was another famous Northern Shaolin master who defeated many foreign martial art
masters, especially from Russia and Japan. He is best known for his Iron
Palm.

Anyone familiar with the western
concept of muscles and strength, seeing his deceptively fragile physique could
never believe how powerful Gu Ru Zhang was. He would place more than ten bricks
one on top of another on the ground, without any support below. With an
apparently gentle tap on the top brick, this fragile looking Shaolin master
could send his internal force down the remaing bricks and break them all! It is
understandable that many modern martial artists may not believe this was
possible.

Once, after seeing Gu Ru Zhang's
demonstration, a skeptical spectator suspected that the bricks had been tempered
with beforehand. He changed all the bricks which were to be used in another
demonstration the next day. The following day, without knowing that the bricks
had been changed. Gu Ru Zhang piled the bricks up. The spectator expected Gu Ru
Zhang to be put to shame. As usual the master slapped on the top brick with his
palm; all the other bricks broke.

One day a stuntman from Russia brought
in a trained horse and challenged the sick men of East Asia to tame it. When
many Chinese were hurt by the horse, the stuntman insulted the Chinese people
saying that with all their Chinese kungfu they were no better than a horse. This
angered Gu Ru Zhang. He walked towards the horse, and gave one slap of his Iron
Palm on its body. The horse collapsed and died immediately. The people, Chinese
as well as foreigners, were surprised. There was no mark of injury on the
horse's body, but when they cut it open they found that many of its internal
organs were smashed.